Driver fired after special needs student is left on bus for 5 hours

19-year-old was to have been transported in cooperative in Orland Park

August 20, 2011|By Jeff Vorva, Tribune reporter

A bus driver who is alleged to have left a special needs student alone on a bus for five hours was fired Friday, the bus company said.

The student, a 19-year-old Country Club Hills resident with Down syndrome, was scheduled to be dropped off Tuesday at the Southwest Cook County Cooperative Association for Special Education school in Orland Park, according to Alpha School Bus officials.

The student apparently fell asleep and was still on the bus after the driver completed his morning rounds, officials said.

"The student remained on the bus when it returned to the terminal after the morning route, where the bus was parked and locked by the bus driver until the bus driver returned for the afternoon route," Southwest Cook County Cooperative Executive Director Gineen O'Neil said in a statement.

The Crestwood-based company, which transports Bremen High School District 228 students to the Orland Park facility, said it "deeply regrets the incident." Officials did not identify the driver.

"Once the company realized that the student had not been dropped off at her designated school, we immediately returned the child to school and contacted school officials," Alpha regional manager Caprice Sanfratello said in a statement. "We met with the child and the child's guardian concerning the incident and reviewed Alpha's safety procedures. After Alpha conducted its investigation, the driver was terminated.''

O'Neil said she could not didn't recall an incident like this at her school before.

"This occurrence is unacceptable and cannot be repeated," O'Neil said in the statement. "Bus drivers are required by law to walk the bus after completing a route, and before leaving the bus, in order to protect students and prevent this kind of incident."

Southwest provides services and instruction for 11 high school districts in the south suburbs.